In the closest finish in the history of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley and drivers David Donohue, Darren Law, Buddy Rice and Antonio Garcia captured the 47th anniversary of the twice-around-the clock challenge on Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. The final hours of the twice-around-the-clock marathon came down to an epic four-way battle between the No. 58 and 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Rileys, the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara and the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley – a team that has captured the past three Rolex 24s. 
The margin of victory was a miniscule 0.167 seconds. This margin is particularly incredible considering the race lasted for 24 hours, 26.465 seconds. During the highly contested battle, there were 51 lead changes among 53 drivers and 9 cars.

The final hour started with a caution that bunched up the field one last time for a sprint to the end. In most 24-hour races, such a flag would not have much of an impact. However, this time what it meant was there would be 4 cars with a shot at winning the Rolex 24. The simple fact that in a 24 hour race you even have 4 cars that are still on the same lap is a testament to what the Grand Am series has accomplished. For decades, Rolex has delivered the greatest professional watches in the world that have set the performance marks for endurance and reliability. Doesn’t it make perfect sense that the ultimate watch company would sponsor what turned out to be the greatest and most challenging race of the racing year?

Professional car racing has been linked for decades to Paul Newman and the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. The legendary actor passed away in 2008, and his dedication to the sport of racing will be remembered. At the Rolex 24, Patrick Dempsey and his Dempsey team succeeded in carrying forward the Newman legacy. Unlike the year before when they failed to finish, the Dempsey team finished a respectable 35 out of 49 teams.

In terms of the quality of the race, it is amazing that the Brumos team was able to hold off the well-funded Ganassi team, which had won the Rolex 24 for four straight years. As Terrible Tim wrote in the Sporting News, “The Rolex 24 had history and heritage. You could see the history playing out right in front of you. You cold feel the heritage this little team had and the status they aspired to achieve. You could feel the drama unfold lap after lap better than an NCIS episode. You had to love this little team holding off what could be the largest wallet in sports car racing. You had to love the fact that the whole scene centered on a heritage the sport holds so dearly and was so happy to display for the world.

David Donohue, the leader of the winning team, joins his late father Mark as the third father-son combination to win the overall Rolex 24. He beamed during his post-race interview, “I’m certainly very, very proud of my father and his accomplishments and what he’s done,� Donohue said. “Just coincidentally we happened to nail it on the 40th anniversary of him winning.� Once again, Rolex shows why it is the very best watch in the world by sponsoring the very best competitors and performers!

On Jake Ehrlich’s recent podcast, interviewing NASA astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao, Dr. Chiao mentioned that he had seen a Rolex GMT Master featured on an old Star Trek episode. One of the most highly decorated and accomplished astronauts alive today; Dr. Chiao is a Rolex enthusiast and proudly wears a Rolex GMT Master II. It makes perfect sense that he would recognize the watch while viewing an episode of Star Trek, a very popular show with astronauts since its original inception. Using Dr. Chiao’s comment as a guide Jake Ehrlich discovered the episode, which displays the Rolex GMT Master prominently on the wrist of the character Gary Seven. At first appearing to be a villain, Gary Seven turns out to be a hero in the end.

The Star Trek episode that featured the Rolex GMT Master is named Assignment Earth (number 55). The last show (Episode 26) from the second season; it originally aired March 29, 1968. The episode was also a television pilot for a Star Trek spin-off Gene Roddenberry hoped to launch based around the character of Gary Seven. The episode begins when Gary Seven, who is attempting to beam to earth, is instead beamed onto the Enterprise transport deck by mistake. From his introduction, the Rolex GMT Master appears prominently on Gary Seven’s wrist.

Played by the actor Robert Lansing, Gary Seven informs Captain Kirk that he has come from an invisible planet to save Earth from nuclear destruction in 1968. Not knowing what to do, and doubting his story, Kirk imprisons Gary Seven in a holding cell. Gary escapes using a pen-shaped weapon; the camera zooming in on his hands and offering a close-up of his Rolex GMT Master with a Pepsi bezel. In order to discover the truth Kirk and Spock travel back in time in pursuit of Gary Seven.

Through a series of action sequences, Kirk and Spock chase Gary Seven around New York City. The pursuit ends at NASA’s Cape Canaveral, in Florida, where an Apollo rocket is being launched with a test nuclear warhead aboard. Gary Seven sneaks onto the launch pad and manipulates the Saturn rocket to avoid certain catastrophe. Like all Star Trek episodes, everything works out in the end.

It is intriguing to note that the young Teri Garr played Ms. Roberta Lincoln, Gary Seven’s somewhat bewildered secretary and a source of comic relief. However, the Gary Seven pilot was never picked up and the character with his Rolex GMT Master was never seen again. Most likely, he would have been like James Bond in outer space with a prominent collection of Rolex watches. Unfortunately, we will never know what the brilliant Gene Roddenberry had up his proverbial sleeve. As Spock says at the end of the episode, “May you live long and prosper.” Or, as he should have said: “May you live long and prosper with a Rolex watch on your wrist!â€�

Just as President Barack Obama was sworn in as the new President of the United States, Yo-Yo Ma played his cello wearing a Stainless Steel Rolex Datejust on his wrist. Performing with Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill, Yo-Yo Ma performed a beautiful and spiritually compelling new composition named “Air & Simple Gifts,â€� which classical composer John Williams wrote for the event.  Yo-Yo Ma has endorsed Rolex watches for several years, and he takes part in the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. As described on the Timecafe website, “Rolex is endorsed publicly by several individuals who embody ‘the constant pursuit of perfection.’ Musical greats such as Yo-Yo Ma . . . Rolex’s ambassadors come from all realms, demonstrating the versatility and timelessness of the Rolex image.â€�

The inauguration performance did create a little controversy afterwards when it became known that the music the audience, both live and on television, actually heard a version of song that had been recorded by the stellar quartet earlier in the week. The Los Angeles Times reported online: “They’re calling it the great musical cover-up, news that Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman and the rest of their Inauguration Day ensemble pre-recorded their music for fear that cold temperatures would force their instruments out of tune. The renowned musicians did play live — but only those closest could hear it, and that probably didn’t include President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama or their daughters, Malia and Sasha. The Ticket has to say, they did sound marvelous.â€� It was 28 degrees at 12:00 pm when the quartet began their performance. In such extreme conditions, instruments consistently fall out of tune. Yo-Yo Ma was prepared for the weather though, wearing a Rolex Datejust that he knew would run perfectly despite the bitter cold.

Ultimately, whether you heard the live or the recorded version of the composition, the legendary quartet led by Yo-Yo Ma rhapsodized together, symbolizing the great hope for the future that the new administration represents. The remarkably intimate interlude opened with a sober, almost melancholy theme, as if to recall the many challenges facing the country. That gave way to a familiar melody, first intoned by the clarinet - the gently uplifting Shaker hymn, “Simple Gifts,” used so indelibly by Aaron Copland in his 1944 ballet score Appalachian Spring. Once again, with a Rolex Datejust on his wrist and the greatest musicians by his side, Yo-Yo Ma represented the very best of artistic achievement before the eyes of the world.

On the second season of Donald Trump’s celebrity apprentice, set in Manhattan, the winner is expected to receive a Rolex watch as a prize as well as a cash donation to the charity of their choice. Vying for the title of Trump’s “Best Business Brain,� the celebrities include retired NBA player Dennis Rodman, comedian Andrew Dice Clay, television host Melissa Rivers and many more. Since Rolex watches have been a symbol of entrepreneurial success for over a century, it makes sense that Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice should have a Rolex watch on their wrist.

It is an even more likely choice when Trump’s long and positive history with Rolex watches is considered. A collector of luxury wristwatches, Donald Trump’s hotels have also sponsored a multitude of Rolex sporting events and benefits. At the end of 2008, the Rolex Awards Reception was held at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago country club in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump was on hand with Peter Nicholson of Rolex USA to award the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year award to Lorena Ochoa of Mexico. Ochoa has won the award for three straight years and represents the very best in women’s golf. Each year she has been presented with a Rolex timepiece and has started quite a collection herself. Rolex has had a relationship with the LPGA since 1980 and sponsors both Ochoa and Annika Sorenstram, an eight time Rolex player of the year. As a successful entrepreneur, Donald Trump always opens his hotels and resorts to Rolex sponsored events, knowing well that with Rolex there is a guarantee of quality & success.

Trump’s relationship with Rolex extends beyond mere benefactor. According to Business Week; “When he puts his name on bottled water, vodka, or a business suit, it sells. Trump buildings get a premium. People clamor to hear his speeches, for which he gets as much as $1.5 million a pop. They buy his books. They even still watch his reality TV show, with 9.1 million viewers tuning into the Jan. 7 premiere.� It makes sense for Rolex to ally with a brand as powerful as Donald Trump. And Trump’s loyalty to Rolex is no doubt due to the superior status that Rolex watches represent.

So it seems that nothing but a Rolex would suit the winner of Celebrity Apprentice. But what kind of Rolex is right for the winner? Whether the winning celebrity is male or female, there are Rolex watches ideally suited to symbolize success for either sex. If the winner is a man, the Rolex Day Date Super President in 18k gold with a black dial and diamond lugs would be a remarkable watch for a remarkable achievement. If the celebrity happens to be female, the White Gold Rolex President with a custom silver diamond dial set in 18k white gold would perfectly represent victory. However, if any of the celebrity contestants are to win, they have to avoid hearing Donald Trump’s catch phrase: “You’re Fired!� For the celebrity who survives this gauntlet of pressure and shame, a Rolex watch would be the ideal finishing touch to their triumph.

Actress & Rolex enthusiast Jennifer Garner along with husband, actor Ben Affleck, welcomed a beautiful little girl named Seraphina Rose into the world at the beginning of the New Year. Joining big sister Violet, age 3, in the Garner-Affleck household; Seraphina was named after an order of angels in the Hebrew Bible known as the seraph or seraphim. Perceived in later Jewish imagery as a class of celestial beings with human form, the seraph evolved into the highest rank of Christian angels.

The parents did not reveal their personal reasons for selecting Seraphina, but the name has come into style in recent years. “It kind of follows from Angelina, which has gotten super popular because of Angelina Jolie, as a spiritual, heavenly name,” says Pamela Redmond Satran, who runs nameberry.com, “Ben and Jen really put Violet on the map,” Satran says. “They transformed it from what people saw as a dowdy, old lady name to a really cute, modern choice.” Serafina (alternate spelling) is also a Marvel Comics villain who first appeared in an X-Men story line in 2006. Although, it is unlikely that mom and dad considered the Marvel villain as inspiration; Garner and Affleck have played Elektra and Daredevil respectively, two Marvel Comics characters, on the big screen.

For years, Jennifer Garner has been known as a true Rolex enthusiast, seen publicly wearing a multitude of Rolex styles. Garner has favored the versatility of the two-toned Ladies Datejust with a blue dial and a fluted bezel, and the classic opulence of the Ladies Rolex President in yellow gold. With the arrival of their second child, will Ben Affleck treat his beautiful wife to the quintessential indulgence of a new Rolex? In the past, while dating Jennifer Lopez, “Affleck dropped $50,000 on a Rolex for his beloved and another for her mother� according to People Magazine. Today, as a husband and father, it seems that Affleck’s taste has moved from trendy flash to long term commitment and more refined luxury. Even the names of his children reflect a profound respect for history and sophistication.

The perfect gift for Jennifer Garner is one that complements her elegant taste and pledges continued happiness with Affleck and their children. Nothing but the most enduring timepiece would be suitable for Garner and so the Ladies Rolex Super President in lustrous 18k yellow gold with custom diamond lugs is the ideal choice. Such a beautiful watch is nothing less than remarkable, and perfectly reflects qualities that are embodied in the names of Garner and Affleck’s daughters. Ideally suited for an angel in human form, only Rolex could produce a watch that is so classic and so symbolic of Jennifer Garner and the values that are conveyed in every aspect of her life.

Following in the tradition of founder Hans Wilsdorf during World War II, Rolex helps open Fisher House, designed to help United States veterans and their families. Dedicated to the well being of United States service men and women, the Fisher House Foundation offers aid and support to the families of military veterans who require medical care after being wounded while on duty. The Fisher Houses provide a friendly and safe place for military families to stay while visiting their loved ones in a Veterans Administration Hospital. Rolex has made what it describes as: A significant financial pledge� to the opening of the new Fisher House facilities in Los Angeles and Dallas in 2008. Allen Brill, president and chief executive officer of Rolex Watch USA, said, “We are extremely proud of our long association with the Fisher House Foundation. We admire their dedication to our greatest national treasure…our military men and women and their loved ones.�

The direct support of military personnel by Rolex falls right into the traditional footsteps of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf and the legendary actions he took to support British Prisoners-of-War during the Second World War. If an allied prisoner of war was captured by the Nazis, they could write to Rolex via the International Red Cross and the company would send them a Rolex watch. Like Rolex, the International Red Cross was headquartered in Geneva. In addition to the watch, a letter would be sent to the prisoner, asking that the watch be paid for in Swiss Francs at the end of the war. Hans Wilsdorf himself wrote the letters that accompanied every watch dispatched to a P.O.W. and ran the administration of the program. The reason the British Prisoners of War needed a new watch was that most of them would have had their own wristwatches confiscated when they were captured. Wilsdorf also led programs that sent food and basic resources to the P.O.W camps while making sure to support any Rolex employees and their families caught in the fighting.

By supporting the Fisher House Foundation, Rolex continues to do the positive work that Wilsdorf began, expanding a tradition that reflects the very best of the corporation. Rolex has been a long-time supporter of the foundation. Contributions from Rolex have aided the opening of Fisher Houses in Ft. Campbell, Ky. and San Antonio, Texas, in recent years. Since its inception in 1991, more than forty Fisher Houses have been opened and by the end of 2010 as many as 59 Fisher Houses may be opened. On account of advanced medical practices, the survival rate for soldiers with extreme wounds is much higher now than ever before. The Fisher House Foundation and other organizations that support the returning veterans and their families have become essential. By supporting such a cause, Rolex recognizes the importance of caring for American soldiers not only during the conflict, but afterwards as well. If Hans Wilsdorf were alive today, he truly would be proud!

Legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood truly represents the daring spirit of Rolex. At the age of 78, Clint Eastwood has been receiving accolades and awards for his performance in and direction of the film Gran Torino. Although primarily known as a successful action star, Eastwood has directed more films than Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas combined, and he has won two Academy Awards for directing. Earlier this year The Changeling, directed by Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie, was released. In his acting career, Eastwood has worn a Rolex watch in several of his films. In Firefox, he wore a Rolex GMT Master with a Jubilee bracelet, and in the hit film, In the Line of Fire, he wore a two toned Rolex Datejust.

In 2007, French President Jacques Chirac awarded Eastwood the Legion of Honor, a rare distinction for an American citizen. Recognized around the world as a true artist of the cinema, Eastwood’s talent has evolved and expanded over the years. In Gran Torino, Eastwood plays with his classic Dirty Harry tough guy image by showing a similar character grown up to be a bitter, angry man. “You always look for a character that can go somewhere, start one place and go another,” Eastwood said in a voice that now is almost a whisper. “I was intrigued by the Gran Torino script because it was not only about the Hmong culture, which was new to me, but it is also a kind of statement that you’re never too old to learn tolerance and learn a lot of things. Of course Walt Kowalski is a man who’s out of his time and he has trouble adjusting, but that makes hurdles to go over and they make the character fun to play.â€� Like Rolex, Eastwood has learned not only to love adventure and daring, but also the importance of giving back and helping his fellow man. It is hard to imagine an individual more deserving of wearing a Rolex watch than Clint Eastwood.

In Gran Torino Eastwood worked with an unknown cast of non-professional actors, including Bee Vang and Ahney Her, both born in the US to Hmong parents. “They were very nice kids and they were really earnest,” he says. “It’s interesting with the young people of the Hmong culture that, although they were born here, they all know the language of their parents and grandparents and they have a great respect for adults.” At 78, Eastwood demonstrates incredible energy and daring, continuing to evolve as an actor and an artist. If we could choose a Rolex watch for Clint Eastwood, a Rolex Stainless Steel Datejust with a Black Dial and a Fluted Bezel would be the perfect fit. With a combination of elegance and robustness, it matches the legendary character of this American icon.

In October of 2005, a gold Rolex Day-Date, commonly known as a Rolex President, sold at the Alexander Auction House in Greenwich, Connecticut for $120,000 dollars, breaking the house record. A stunning watch indeed, it was the historical ambiguity of the watch’s origins that drove up the selling price.

Purportedly, the gold Rolex President was given to John F. Kennedy by the iconic Marilyn Monroe on the evening the actress famously serenaded him, singing a sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday to Youâ€� on May 19, 1962, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Inscribed with the words, “Jack, with love as always from Marilyn, May 29th 1962â€�, the watch was sold with a poem entitled: “A heartfelt plea on your birthday,” typed in black on a paper disc placed at the bottom of the gold case containing the gift. The date on the inscription corresponds with Kennedy’s birthday. However, even after garnering an exorbitant price at auction, many experts still question whether the watch is a real piece of history or an elaborate fake.

According to the story, Marilyn Monroe gave the watch to Kenneth O’Donnell, Kennedy’s aid, on the night of the celebration. Widely accepted to be having an affair, the watch was a gift from Monroe to President Kennedy. When Kenneth O’Donnell passed the watch on to J.F.K., Kennedy told him to “get rid of it,� according to a note that was sold with the watch.

The Rolex was put up for auction in 2005 and was expected to sell for between $40,000 and $60,000, a gross underestimate considering the final selling price of $120,000. Bill Panagopulos, founder of the auction house, explained the huge discrepancy: “It’s the hardest thing I ever had to estimate, historic relics, especially when there is a hint of scandal attached, defy any attempt by an auctioneer to estimate their selling price.”

The biggest question, when considering the watch’s valuation, is whether it is actually authentic. Rather than being sold by the O’Donnell family, Panagopulos said the Rolex President had been brought to him by an English citizen, “who describes his family as being prominent pawnbrokers for the upper classes.” According to Panagopulos, the watch’s serial number and engraving are appropriate for the time, and the history of the watch was confirmed by a family member of Kennedy’s former aide.

An ornate design on the top lid of the round gold case containing the Rolex shows two doves “kissing.” In the bottom of the case, there is a round piece of paper printed with the poem from Marilyn to her alleged lover. Titled “A heartfelt plea on your birthday,” the poem reads, “Let lovers breathe their sighs/And roses bloom and music sound/Let passion burn on lips and eyes/And pleasures merry world go round/Let golden sunshine flood the sky/ and let me love/ or let me die!”

Overall, the Rolex and its accompanying notes represent a dramatic course of events that will always be shrouded in speculation. Marilyn Monroe’s death, by a mysterious drug overdose in August 1962, and President Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, means that the truth may never be known. The aide, Kenneth O’Donnell, who was given the watch in the story, passed away in 1977, and his family refuses to comment on the gold Rolex and its historical validity. It seems that whether or not the tale is true, the anonymous buyer of this Rolex President will never regret the timeless sophistication of this watch and the intrigue of its origins.

Arguably, the most successful actor of his generation in terms of the box office, Harrison Ford chooses to wear a  Rolex Datejust in his everyday life. In the thriller Frantic, renowned director Roman Polanski has Harrison Ford’s character wear a stainless steel Datejust on a Jubilee Bracelet. If one legendary film character, however, definitely should have worn a Rolex, the adventurer’s watch, it is Ford’s greatest creation, Indiana Jones. In relation to Ford’s mastery of the character, one critic wrote, “Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones. He owns the role like a seasoned Rolex.� Furthermore, like the conquerors of Mount Everest or the divers in the ocean’s deepest depths, Indiana Jones represents the very essence of Rolex quality and daring. Yet, for some unknown reason, George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg never gave Indiana a Rolex watch to wear on his wrist. Even worse, they made Harrison Ford stumble through the final film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, backed by a bad plot and a terrible screenplay. If Indiana Jones had worn a Rolex watch in the last film, he might have been checking the time to see when it would be over like members of the audience.

The plot line left many patrons not merely bored, but angered, as illustrated by a controversial South Park episode, which left Kyle moaning about the third film’s Alien’s. If you did not see the film, are you shaking your head right now? Aliens in an Indiana Jones story just reduces it to the absurd and mocks the classic adventure roots of the character. Indeed, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a mockery of perhaps the greatest adventurer in modern film. Moreover, not giving Indiana Jones a Rolex is simply doing him a great disservice. First, as you can see from the pictures, Harrison Ford looks great in a Rolex watch, whether it is silver or gold. Second, like the real life adventurers that Rolex has teamed up with over the last century, Indiana Jones represents the best of man’s daring and courageous spirit. Nothing, not even Nazis or a tunnel overflowing with the grossest bugs you could possibly imagine, ever stopped Indiana from achieving his goals. In real life, Harrison Ford looks positively awesome in his Rolex Datejust. Indiana Jones may have done better with a Rolex GMT Master II, a Rolex Explorer, or even a Rolex Submariner like James Bond. In the end, Indiana should have had a better send-off in terms of a quality film and a Rolex on his wrist.

When it comes to giving back in the form of charity and cultural support, philanthropy is an intrinsic part of the Rolex culture and philosophy. Through the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a large percentage of the profits of the Rolex go directly to philanthropic causes. Upon the death of his wife in 1944, Wilsdorf established the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation in which he left all of his Rolex shares, making sure that some of the company’s income would go to charity. The company is still owned by a private trust, and shares are not traded on any stock exchange. The foundations funnels much of the profits generated by Rolex into various charitable endeavors. Given that Rolex is not a publicly held company, exact numbers are not known, but it is clear they generate huge sums of money for worthy charities. Below, the descriptions of the two eminent Rolex philanthropic programs are paraphrased directly from Rolex accounts that describe the programs with a perfect balance of humility and clarity.

Through its two primary philanthropic programs, the Awards for Enterprise and the Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, Rolex fosters innovation in science, exploration, conservation, and the arts worldwide. 
 The Rolex Awards for Enterprise were created to foster a spirit of enterprise and advance human knowledge and well being around the globe. They support pioneering work in five areas: science and medicine; technology and innovation; exploration and discovery; the environment; and cultural heritage. In each series, ten Awards are presented to visionary men and women whose groundbreaking projects benefit their fields of endeavor, their communities and the wider world. Winners are innovators who typically work outside the mainstream and often have limited access to traditional funding. Rather than reward past achievements, the Rolex Awards provide financial assistance and recognition to individuals embarking on new ventures or carrying out ongoing projects. Grants of $100,000 are awarded to five Laureates and $50,000 to five Associate Laureates in each series. These grants must be used to complete their projects. All ten also receive a Rolex chronometer. Each of the Laureates represent the best work being done in their field, reflecting the excellence that Rolex has accomplished with their ground-breaking watches.

In 2002, Rolex launched the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, a global program that pairs emerging artists with masters in dance, film, literature, music, theatre and the visual arts for a year of intensive collaboration. Building on a legacy of supporting culture that dates back to the 1970s, Rolex launched the Arts Initiative to help ensure that artistic excellence is passed on to the next generation. Unparalleled in its artistic and geographic reach, the program has helped over 200 notable talents from 39 countries since its beginnings. Noting the lack of corporate support for individual artists in a multitude of disciplines, Rolex created the program to foster the next generation of artistic excellence and fill a void in arts philanthropy. Renowned artists from around the globe have participated in the program, ranging from Rolex representative and Mexican tenor Placido Domingo to Israel violinist Pinchas Zukerman. Through the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, Rolex has expanded its influence well beyond the scope of groundbreaking watches and chronometers. Through its philanthropic programs, Rolex created a true corporate culture of giving back, leading to cultural achievements and scientific breakthroughs that have benefited the entire world.